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Jennifer GrilliSchool:Kean University Abroad Location: Spain |
It is an unforgettable experience that will forever remain with you... | |
| To me, study abroad is what college is all about. It is about exploration, learning, growing, failure, and success. ... | |
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PRINTDealing With Reverse Cultural Shock
Reverse culture shock is the anxiety your child may feel when they returns to the United States. During their time abroad, your child has changed and grown. Perhaps they has adopted new behaviors or challenged their beliefs while they is away. Likewise, some things at home have changed, and other things have stayed the same. The anxiety is a result of your child trying to fit their “new” self in the context of their “old” environment.
Symptoms of reverse culture shock:
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Your child feels as if no one can understand their study abroad experience
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Your child becomes frustrated by not being able to communicate the significance of their time abroad
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Your child only wants to associate with students who were abroad with them
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Your child becomes critical of customs, values or beliefs in the U.S. that didn’t bother them before leaving
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Your child feels that there is no outlet for him/her to talk about their experiences
Reverse culture shock can make coming home bittersweet. To help your child deal with reverse culture shock, encourage them to:
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Take a re-entry seminar if their school or a school in his/her area offers one
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Stay in contact and share their frustration with other students who were abroad with them
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Keep a journal or scrapbook of things that pertain to their host country
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Join international student organizations
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Volunteer to help other students going abroad or foreign students coming to study at their campus
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Join foreign language conversation groups and/or take a class so that they don’t loose their language skills
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Search for opportunities to work abroad if they are interested in an international career
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Plan their next trip abroad
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Stay optimistic, open-minded, and patient. Readjusting to the home culture takes time and has its ups and downs. Your child should exercise the flexibility they learned while abroad to help them make the transition to their home culture